As the door to the great hall closed behind them, Rory offered his arm to her, but that was too much, too soon for her. “I’m perfectly capable of holding myself upright.”
She half expected him to shoot her an exasperated look, but he chuckled and said, “That ye are, Lillith.”
“Why were ye late for supper?” she asked, making her way to the stairs that led to her bedchamber.
“I was training by the loch with my men. I did nae get a chance earlier today, as I was preoccupied with the children.”
“Aye,” she said, “I saw ye. They seemed greatly amused by whatever tale ye were spinning.”
“I was telling them about my hound, Brutus, bringing me gifts. Each morning I’d wake to find a new live animal in my bedchamber.”
“Oh my!” she exclaimed, chuckling. “Masie once brought me a mouse.”
Rory nodded. “Brutus brought me two as well as a rabbit, a cat, and a snake.”
“A snake!” she clapped with glee. “I bet ye were terrified.”
He frowned at her. “Certainly nae. I’m the Hammer of the Highlands,” he said in an exaggeratedly boastful voice, “as I’m sure ye recall.”
“I recall something of that nature,” she replied, grinning as they reached the top of the stairs, and she turned them left toward her bedchamber. “My sister and I had a pet snake when we were younger.”
He gave her a shocked look. “Did ye now? That seems an unusual pet for two wee lasses.”
“Oh, it was, but after my mama died and my da was so grumpy, my Uncle Brus was always trying to make us cheerful, so when we asked if we could have a pet snake, he agreed straight away. My Aunt Elena was furious.”
“What about yer da?”
She cast her gaze away, recalling how her da had been. “He did nae pay us much heed at that time,” she murmured.
“Ah,” Rory said. “His heart was broken after yer mama died.”
She jerked her gaze to his, just as they came to her bedchamber door. “Aye,” she said, her voice barely above a whisper. Things had just gotten very personal very quickly. Part of her wanted to bid him goodnight and end the personal talk, but another part felt a sense of relief at speaking about it with someone.
Before she knew what was occurring, he grasped her fingers with his as he faced her. He had wide hands and long, thick fingers that were warm and slightly calloused, likely from all the practice with his sword and the battles he’d fought. She watched as his fingers curled firmly around hers, and a surprising sense of safety and comfort filled her. Standing so close to him, his commanding presence nearly overwhelmed her. She caughtherself almost leaning toward him, feeling much like there was a string from him to her, pulling her near him.
“What happened to yer pet snake?” he asked.
“Lenora and I set the snake free because we wanted it to explore,” she answered. “What happened to all the ‘presents’ Brutus brought ye?”
“Well, I set them all free, but the cat, and now Snow is the Matheson barn cat. We have a nice little visit every morning, in which I give her milk, and she submits to my petting her.”
Rory Matheson, Hammer of the Highlands, had a kind heart. Lillith felt her guards lower just a bit. Her grandmama was right—he would likely make a good da, and that thought, that she was having it, frightened her. “I need to go to sleep now,” she rushed out, starting to tug her hand away, but he held her fingers firmly and gave them a gentle squeeze.
He offered a slow, devilish smile. “Good night, my fair warrior.” With that, he brought her fingers to his lips and pressed a kiss to the tips, which was somehow anything but chaste despite the natural innocence of the gesture. Fire sprang up in Lillith’s belly along with a tingling sensation that swept her body. And was she a bit breathless? And hot? He released her hand, and she drew it to her, turning on her heel and escaping into the safety of her bedchamber.
She pressed her back to the door and used one hand to fan herself while she brought the hand he’d held to her lips. His fair warrior. She smiled. He had called her ‘his fair warrior’, and she’d not even had the urge to stab him for it. That was progress!
The next night, when supper ended, he asked once again if he could walk her to her bedchamber. This time, when he offered her his arm just outside the great hall door, she took it. She slipped her arm in his, and they walked to her bedchamber, discussing the continuing decorations of the entire castle for the Winter Solstice. When they reached her door, he released herarm and took her hand in his. Was he going to kiss her fingertips again? Her heart doubled its speed. Was that excitement or fear?
“What’s yer favorite thing about Winter Solstice?” he asked, and he genuinely sounded as if he wanted to know.
“I love the idea that it stands for rebirth,” she answered honestly.
“Ye like the idea of a chance to start anew?”
“I do. It’s a nice idea to think we get to try again in a new time and fix mistakes and make better choices.”
“I like that, too,” he replied. “The idea of starting anew with all the information I’ve learned.”
